After a special election brought on by a sudden resignation, Sunnyvale Planning Commissioner Larry Klein appears to have easily defeated two challengers to claim seat 4 on the city council.

With approximately 60 percent of the vote, Klein is poised to win the right to serve out the remaining four months of former councilman David Whittum’s term. Whittum resigned suddenly on April 5, citing personal reasons. Due to the timing of the resignation, the city was forced to hold an approximately $767,600 special election on Aug. 16.

Klein will not be able to celebrate his victory for long. He is hoping to stay on the council beyond the next four months and is already working on his campaign for the Nov. 8 election, when he will work to defend his seat against two challengers.

“I think the voters saw me as a thoughtful leader with the right experience that will work to do what is best for Sunnyvale, and I’m hoping they’ll vote for me again in November,” said Klein in a phone interview with this newspaper.

Whittum was to term out in December after serving on council since 2008. Due to the timing of the resignation and the rules of the city charter, Sunnyvale was unable to hold the special election in conjunction with either the June or November elections or appoint a replacement. The charter states that vacancies must be declared within 30 days of a resignation and then a special municipal election called within 180 days of the declaration of vacancy.

“It was a lot of work for a four-month term, but at least I got my name and face out there,” Klein said. “A lot of people in Sunnyvale recognize me, value my experience and my years of community service for the last 15 years, and they showed up at the polls.”

Klein is no stranger to public service. He has been a planning commissioner for nine years. He also served for six years on the Sunnyvale Historical Society Board and is a citizen’s team member of the Joint Cities Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study.

Klein is employed as an engineering program manager at Qnovo, a battery-charger startup. He ran on a platform of completing construction of downtown Sunnyvale, reducing traffic, adding affordable housing and managing growth.

As of press time Wednesday, 11,137 votes had been counted, with Klein claiming a little more than 60 percent of the vote. John Cordes was in second with 31.5 percent and Stephen Williams was third with 8.4 percent. Sunnyvale has 56,112 registered voters, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.

Approximately 85 percent of ballots had been counted by Wednesday afternoon.

On Nov. 8, Klein will go up against Cordes again along with Michael McCarthy. Incumbent Pat Meyering will face Planning Commission Chairman Russell Melton for seat 5. Incumbent Jim Davis will defend seat 6 against former Sunnyvale Rotary Club President Nancy Smith. The candidates for seat 7 are incumbent Tara Martin-Milius and challengers Ron Banks and Michael Goldman.

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